File vs Electric Sharpening...

I hand sharpen my saw chains using a Husqvarna file kit. A guy at our local saw shop says you can get a sharper chain by hand filing than by an electronic sharpener. Don't know about that so I thought I'd ask you all as I'm a curious cat and don't know much about nuthin'. Saw on boys!

 

I use an electric one at the house and hand file in the woods. You can get a better and more complete edge by hand for sure. Bench sharpener only hits the taller edge and doesn’t reach to the gullet always. Works but more control by hand.

That’s my .02 - with that and a dollar bill you can buy a cup of coffee

 

hand filing > electric/grinder

 

Ive hand filed most of my life. Someone bought me a Harbor Freight special saw sharpener as a gift a few years back. Id use that when the teeth got real dull from hitting metal, rocks, ground etc. It died and i now will use the grinding stone in a cordless drill on rare occasions. Cant say any difference one vs. the other although the machine ground did seem sharper when i ran my finger over it.
Welcome to the FHC The Axeman Commeth Great to have you!

 

Many variables. How good are you at hand sharpening? How good are you at machine sharpening?
Machine grinding comes down to the wheel. A good wheel with a good operator can do an awesome job. A cheap wheel with poor technique can mess up a chain really fast LOL
CBN wheels are the way to go Chainsaw Sharpening Wheels | Super Abrasive CBN

 

I think I do a decent job at hand filing. Of course, my brother who machine sharpens say's I NEVER do anything right anyway would disagree. Funny thing though, he never kick's me off his property when I come to help him cut his wood with my hand sharpened chain. Go figure.

 

I’ve always hand filed, but I’ve used some machine sharpened chains that were impressive and seen some butcher jobs too.
It’s all about what works for you and what you’re comfortable with.

 

I hand filed for years ; and still do in the field if I need to but recently went to electric and bought a good Oregon Grinder ( It was the better model of theirs I think it was the 520 off the top of my head ). I also had a Northern too grinder that I had actually forgotten about until after I bought the Oregon.
I set up the Oregon for grinding the teeth and then have the Northern setup for doing the rakers. This way I can just grind the teeth , take the chain off and do the rakers without having to switch wheels or my setup.

I started doing this when CSM went into action and would dull chains pretty quick. Easier now and less time to just swap a chain out in the field instead of hand sharpening.

 

cbn wheels apx $100 a pop. tried them 25 years ago and just a few months back. wasn't happy either time. Work really well until they get a bit worn then start over heating and leaving huge burrs. Same thing I found 25 years ago. Funny thing was I had a customer come in with some chains just sharpened by someone else complaining they would not cut. What I described above is exactly what was wrong with these ( sharpener error) . I can tell the difference between a stone and a cbn grind in this particular application. Been in the business for 30+ years do a lot of commercial work . Ponied up and bought a auto "filing" ( not a grinder) unit for chains. Have not set it up yet- sprained my hand repairing a skid steer. ( old age sucks) Should be interesting. Recently got a depth gauge grinder- what a time saver. Can run through a 84 dl chain in just a few minutes. Yes , it puts a back slope on the gauges. Not sq. across the top and not a triangle either.

 

Welcome to FHC. You'll like it here. We like beer, dogs and pics. Lots of pics. Lots of knowledgeable people here who are willing to share.

 

I’m pretty ok at hand filing. Not too long ago I picked up a super jolly grinder, I have been wondering ever since why to took me so long to buy it. Worth every penny.

 

X2

 

This is what I like, my chains last so much longer than before. Not really hand filing but I can spiff up a chain any place with one of these. Stihl 2n1

 

I use those as well. They will make a wicked sharp chain too. I find they are best being used on a new chain that you stay on top of vs getting a used saw with someone else's hacked up chain to try and correct. That said, after seeing Kevin sharpen my chain on his Super Jolly at his GTG last year, one will find its way here.

 

I consider myself pretty proficient with a file:



That being said, grinders are super consistent, precise and much faster!


“sharper” with a file, meh. I can create a pretty delicate, razor edge with a wheel and a file. I think you’d be hard pressed prove one way or the other.

 

A ground chain will always be more consistent than a filed chain. But a poorly ground chain isn’t any good either.

As far as the gullet is concerned, you can’t clean that out with a file without dropping below the cutting edge either, just like a grinder. Every 3 or 4 sharpenings on the grinder I back off the tooth stop so I’m not hitting the top of the tooth and lower the wheel down to the strap to clean it out.

 

I asked my local dealer about the 2 in 1 when I bought my 362 and he asked me how I filed and he said I wouldn't like the 2 in 1.

In an earlier career I had a machine tool shop available to me and I got pretty good at dressing a wheel to the radius and size I wanted and then sharpening/dressing what I wanted and there was one guy there that gave me crash courses on quite a few things and how ( and how not to) to file by hand was one of them.

 

For me it comes down to time. If the chain needs a touch up I'll grab a file. If the damage is worse then I'll swap chains in the field. When I have a number of dull chains I'll sharpen them all at once on the electric. I think practice you can hand file a chain as sharp or sharper than electric, it just may take more time.
What is a Super Jolly? That Stihl hand sharpener looks cool too!
Brad

 

This...

Tecomec Chain Grinder / Super Jolly w/hydraulic clamp

 

If you have issues with cheap $100 wheels spring for a Dinasaw cyclone ABN wheel and never look back.
Steel not aluminum, slotted and most importantly a grit suitable for tool grinding. I can't even remember when I bought mine. If you were to mess it up just have it stripped and replated.
A real Borazon wheel lasts a silly long time. I have 2 in particular that get used practically every day on drill pointers and they are pushing 20 years old.